CHAPTER 3 — THREAD BINDING RITUAL
The alley had returned to silence.
The corpse lay still, cooling in the mud. The orphan crouched beside the wall, gripping the stale bread as if it were a lifeline, too terrified to flee.
Lin Yuan didn't spare the body another glance.
He was looking at his hand.
The faint red sigil glowed like a bloodstain etched into skin. It pulsed rhythmically, matching the slow, controlled beat of his heart.
[Karmic Thread Imprint Detected]
[Initiate Spirit Thread Binding to advance beyond Mortal Vein]
[Warning: Once bound, retreat is impossible. Karmic imprint becomes irreversible.]
[Bind? — Y/N]
Lin Yuan took a breath.
Not out of fear—but out of principle.
Everything in this world had rules. Even gods could not escape balance. Karma was not morality. Karma was accounting.
And now, for the first time, he was being invited to open an account.
He replied:
"Bind."
The sigil flared.
⸻
KARMIC BINDING INITIATED
The world darkened.
Not physically—but as if someone pulled a veil over existence, separating him from ordinary life. Sound dulled. Breath condensed. Even the color of the alley seemed to drain away.
Then—
Red threads filled his vision.
They were everywhere—interwoven across space like a colossal spiderweb of fate and death. Each thread shimmered with a different hue. Some weak, some thick, some glowing with the destiny of geniuses and monsters yet unseen.
None of this was visible before.
But the System had opened his eyes—for a price.
[Spirit Thread Ritual Commencing]
[Choose a Binding Anchor — Select one of your own actions to define your Karma Path]
Three faint lines of text emerged before him, each representing a conceptual identity based on his first kill.
⸻
Select Karmic Identity:
1. Cold Executor — Those who die by your hand are nothing but numbers in the ledger.
• Trait: Emotional detachment increases Karma Efficiency by +5%.
• Cost: Emotional backlash reduced, but empathy stat permanently lowered.
2. Fate Dealer — Every death is a transaction. Every life saved becomes a resource.
• Trait: Gain +1 extra Fate Shard from balanced exchanges.
• Cost: System will enforce stricter exchange conditions, demanding perfect karmic calculations.
3. Redemption Twister — Kill to save. Save to kill. Fate becomes bargaining material.
• Trait: Saving lives after killing amplifies Karma yield.
• Cost: Emotional resonance will increase Karmic backlash. Hesitation penalties doubled.
⸻
The three paths pulsed faintly.
Lin Yuan analyzed them with a strategist's precision.
[Cold Executor — Pure efficiency. The path of a machine. Low emotional risks.]
[Fate Dealer — Balanced, transactional, but high complexity. Perfect for a strategist… but dangerous.]
[Redemption Twister — Emotionally volatile, but potential high karmic gains through saving as well as killing.]
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He recalled the orphan still clutching the bread.
Save one. Kill one. Test the System.
A path of pure balance.
Calmly, deliberately, he made his choice.
⸻
"Fate Dealer."
⸻
The System responded immediately.
[Path Acknowledged — Fate Dealer]
[Karmic Identity Engraving…]
[Host will now be evaluated on transactional precision. Future rewards will scale with efficiency of fate manipulation.]
[Spirit Thread Awakening — 1%… 3%… 11%…]
Pain hit him like molten glass.
Not physical—but a soul-deep burn, as if invisible needles were threading through his spirit, embedding a mark that would never fade.
Lin Yuan clenched his jaw, eyes steady.
The orphan, unable to comprehend the scene, watched from afar—seeing nothing but a silent man standing still under gray skies.
[Spirit Thread Awakening Complete — 17%]
A new prompt appeared.
[Host has taken first step into the Karma Path]
[Realm Progression: Mortal Vein → Half-Step Spirit Thread]
[Next Requirement: Bind one more fate alteration to complete Spirit Thread Realm]
Lin Yuan exhaled slowly.
Two sacrifices. Two threads. One to enter. One to ascend.
He looked around once more at the massive web of red fate threads visible only to him.
Something in the far distance flickered.
A strong thread, thicker than anything here in the slums. Golden-red. Pulsating with destiny. It belonged to someone important.
And for a brief moment…
It trembled.
As if aware that a new player had stepped onto the board.
⸻
Beyond the Alley — High Above
In a distant temple, a monk chanting before a giant stone karma wheel paused mid-breath.
A faint ripple appeared on the wheel— a new karmic signature had entered the world.
He opened his eyes.
"A Fate Dealer… has awakened?"
⸻
Back in the Alley
Lin Yuan looked at his hand again.
The red sigil had changed—it now looked like a scale, weighing life and fate.
A quiet, measured smile touched his lips.
"Let's continue."